Local fire, ambulance and police crews all attended the scene in Old Windsor on Thursday morning after reports of an explosion
Five boats went up in flames on Thursday morning after an explosion took place at Saxon Moorings on the River Thames in Old Windsor.
It’s believed the initial fire broke out after petrol fumes ignited when a vessel was being refuelled.
The blaze then proceeded to spread to other boots moored at the site, leaving three completely destroyed by fire and two 50 per cent damaged.
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Emergency crews were first notified to the incident at 11.43am when a member of the public reported that they had heard a possible explosion and were concerned people may be on board the moored vessels.
Four fire engines, one off road vehicle and a water rescue unit were sent to the scene by the Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service, along with police and the ambulance service.
Around 25 firefighters spent more than an hour tackling the blaze, with crews getting the fire under control shortly after 1pm.
Credit: Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service
Four people were taken to hospital by ambulance as a result of the incident, and another was treated at the scene.
A spokesperson for Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service said: “They [fire crews] used an awful lot of water because the boats were well alight when the fire crews got there.
“It was a fierce fire and there were also some explosions as people use gas canisters for cooking and so forth on boats and they exploded in the fire as well. It was quite a significant incident, but luckily no one was badly hurt.
“The boats were so badly damaged, they were leaking oil and fuel and all sorts of pollutants so the crews used floating booms to contain all the pollutants and stop them getting into the main river.”
The incident was finally closed at 8.50pm on Thursday night after several re-inspections took place to ensure there were no hot spots